The Dark Lord Returns
by Lolita1
Summary: Harry is in his fifth year at Hogwarts. Voldemort is back and has now become very powerful. Harry is receiving letters from a mysterious person who keeps telling him that he will die very soon. Could these letters be true? Chapter 6, 7, and 8 is now up!
1. Sighting in London

Harry woke one fine Saturday to a beautiful ray of light shining through his window. He hadn't realized that it was so late in the morning. He looked over at the old and broken alarm clock that Dudley, his rather large cousin, had broken only last year. So, as usual, Harry got the old hand-me- downs of everything Dudley had once owned. The clock read 10:24. Harry could barely make out the two because the light had burnt out also.  
  
Harry was startled that it was so late. Why hadn't his aunt and uncle woken him up? This was quite odd to Harry as he found himself scrambling out of bed and putting on his clothes. He opened his door and ran down the steps, hoping beyond hope that the Dursleys had gone out for the day. Maybe he would be able to have the house to himself and use Dudley's television that he hadn't managed to break yet. Harry burst through the door expecting to find no one in the kitchen, came to a halt in front of his Uncle Vernon, who at this moment, looked furious.  
  
"This, this person wants to talk to, to…you!" Uncle Vernon spat in his face. Slowly, and Harry was used to this by now, Uncle Vernon's face started to turn purple as he shoved the phone hard into Harry's chest.  
  
"Hello?" Harry asked nervously.  
  
"Harry? Harry, is that you?"  
  
Harry recognized the voice immediately. It was Hermione, his best friend from Hogwarts.  
  
"Hermione?? Is that really you?" Harry asked anxiously.  
  
"Yeah! I just called to check on you. Have you gotten a letter from Ron yet? He was going to try and call you again, but I told him that I didn't think that that was such a good idea. After all that happened last time he tried." Hermione said matter-of-factly.  
  
Harry remembered all too well what happened when Ron tried to call him two summers ago. Uncle Vernon had answered the phone to a voice that was screaming so loud through the phone that the neighbors probably had overheard. That was the first, and probably last time Ron would ever use a phone. Harry received a very long lecture from Uncle Vernon about giving out their phone number to "people of Harry's kind."  
  
"No, I haven't gotten a letter from him yet. Do you know what it's about?" Harry asked hoping that she knew. But before Hermione could answer, there was a tat tat on the window.  
  
Hedwig, Harry's snowy white owl, was sitting on the windowsill obviously waiting impatiently to get inside. Harry told Hermione to hold on while he ran over to the window to let Hedwig in. By this time, Uncle Vernon had left the room and Aunt Petunia and Dudley were nowhere in sight.  
  
Hedwig swooped in and landed on the kitchen table and held out her leg revealing a small piece of parchment attached to it. Harry quickly ran over and untied the parchment. He unraveled it and read the letter quietly to himself:  
  
  
  
Hey Harry!  
  
Just wanted to write and tell you that Mum said that you can come over for the rest of the summer! Hope those Muggles let you come. If not, Mum and Dad have a back-up plan. I don't know what it is yet. Has Hermione called you? She told me that she was going to try and call you on that phone thing. I hope she does it better than I did. Send Hedwig back with your answer.  
  
Ron  
  
  
  
"Harry! HARRY!!"  
  
Harry had completely forgotten about Hermione still being on the phone. He ran over while Hedwig flew back out through the window.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that Hermione. Hedwig just came with the letter from Ron. I kinda got caught up reading it and forgot about you." Harry explained.  
  
"Nice to know that I'm not that important." Hermione grunted into the phone.  
  
"No, no! Don't take it that way!" Harry tried to reason.  
  
"I'm just joking around! I would never get angry like that over something that little. You know, I am allowed a few jokes also rather than just you and Ron."  
  
"Yeah. You had me worried there." Harry's head buzzed with the thought of being able to go back to the Weasley's house for the rest of the summer. Thoughts of being able to fly in their yard and just being with his friends danced around in his head.  
  
"Hey Harry, I have to go. My parents are taking me shopping at a Muggle's mall. That should be fun. I'll talk to you later. Crooshanks says hi." Hermione spit out quickly. Harry could hear her parents calling her in the background.  
  
"Bye." Harry said in a depressed sort of tone.  
  
"Bye Harry. I'll see you soon." And Hermione hung up.  
  
Harry hastily put the phone back down on the table and looked down the hallway. He thought he heard Dudley smashing his Smeltings stick around. He loved to beat Harry with the stick until Harry threatened that he would put a curse on him. For you see, Harry is unlike any other person. He is a wizard and he was going to his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But unfortunately, Dudley ran and told on Harry and he was thrown into his room and was forced to stay in there for two weeks.  
  
Little to Harry's surprise, Dudley came running into the kitchen. Over the summer Dudley had gotten even bigger in size and Aunt Petunia had been frequently receiving letters from the nurse at Dudley's school saying that he is too big for his age (He's not big – he's just big boned!), and since then, Dudley had been on a diet of only a salad every day. And since Dudley had to suffer, Aunt Petunia made the rest of them suffer with him. Uncle Vernon would complain every day that he needed more food (NO! You have to go through what our Duddems has to go through). Harry, on the other hand, had a supply of food hidden in his room that his friends Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and, to his surprise, Dobby had also sent him food, over the summer.  
  
Dudley had ran into the kitchen to try to smuggle some food into his pockets and stuff as much as he could into his mouth before Aunt Petunia found out. But no sooner had Dudley opened the fridge door, Aunt Petunia burst through and saw what Dudley was doing.  
  
"DUDLEY! You're supposed to be on a diet! You can't lose weight by eating more. Now I'm going to have to lessen the amount of food you eat!" screamed Aunt Petunia.  
  
"But I'm hungry!" barked Dudley.  
  
"Oh, alright. Only one piece of cake. That's all. Then it's back to your original diet." Aunt Petunia always went soft on Dudley. He was her little angel. But if Harry had tried something like that, Aunt Petunia would have sentenced him to no food for a week. Life was always like this at the Dursley's house. Harry was used to it. After all, he had been living there for fourteen years of his life.  
  
He had lived with the Dursleys since he was one because fourteen years ago, a dark and evil wizard named Lord Voldemort had came to Harry's house and killed his mother and father. But Harry had survived Voldemort's attack and it had backfired upon Voldemort and he was reduced to nothing and was barely alive. Voldemort had attempted to come back several times, but Harry had stopped him all those times also. But at the end of last year, something horrible had happened. Lord Voldemort had risen again. And now he was back. Harry had no idea where he was at right now, but he had a feeling that he would be seeing him again shortly.  
  
But Harry wasn't concerned about that right now. All he cared about at that moment was convincing his aunt and uncle to let him go to the Weasley's house for the rest of the summer. Harry walked out into the living room where Uncle Vernon was sitting and reading the daily newspaper. On the front page he said a headline that made Harry stop dead in his tracks.  
  
SIRIUS BLACK HAS BEEN SIGHTED NEAR LONDON  
  
Sirius Black was Harry's godfather. He had been on the run from the guards at Azkaban, the wizard prison, for about two years now. He was convicted of a crime that he didn't do and was framed for. Only Harry, Dumbledore, and Harry's closest friends, Ron and Hermione, knew that he was innocent, but the rest of the world didn't believe him. Even the Muggles were looking to capture Sirius. Harry had helped him run and hide from the guards and get away. He had hoped that he would never see that headline, but there it was, right in front of him.  
  
Harry ran over to Uncle Vernon and paused to think of what to say.  
  
"What do you want, boy?" spat Uncle Vernon.  
  
"Umm…Er…Do you think you can lend me that newspaper?" Harry asked sheepishly.  
  
"For what?!?" Uncle Vernon was starting to turn purple again.  
  
"I er…I wanted to er…to…to read it. Yeah, that's it. I just wanted to read it." Harry stumbled to get the words out.  
  
"Fine. I'll give it to you when I'm done with it." Uncle Vernon said gruffly.  
  
But Harry didn't move. He kept standing there.  
  
"What else do you want?" Uncle Vernon's vein starting throbbing on his head.  
  
"I er…I was asked to stay with the Weasleys again this summer." Harry tried to find the words.  
  
"And…?" Uncle Vernon asked, trying hard not to strangle Harry.  
  
"And I was wondering if I could go." Harry spoke very fast now.  
  
"Fine. You can leave now if you want. Please do as a matter-of-fact." Uncle Vernon grumbled as he stared back down at the newspaper.  
  
At this, Harry left the room and ran up to his own room. He found Hedwig sitting on the edge of his bed. He got it a piece of parchment and his quill and a bottle of ink. He wrote and short and simple letter that had only three written words on it:  
  
I can come. 


	2. Padfoot's Entrance

Harry tied the letter onto Hedwig's leg and sent her off. As soon as she flew out the window, there was a knock on the door and Uncle Vernon slid the newspaper under the crack in the door. Harry listened after him and heard Uncle Vernon walk heavily back down the stairs. Harry lifted up the newspaper and started to read:  
  
A police reports that Sirius Black, an escaped convict, has been sighted just outside of London. Black committed thirteen murders fourteen years ago and was charged with a life sentence, but has been on the loose for two years.  
  
"It was terrifying! I saw him run behind a bush and then he disappeared. The only thing behind that bush was a big, black dog." Cried a shocked bystander.  
  
"I thought he was going to murder me! He stood there with a grin on his face as he stared right at me! I knew I was going to be his next victim, but then the policemen arrived and he fled behind a bush. The only thing I saw after that was a black dog running down towards the end of the street." Exclaimed another horror-struck bystander.  
  
The police report that they have fully scouted the area and are still searching high and low for this murderer. All the evidence they could find was a single strand of black hair that scientists have determined was only a dog's hair.  
  
Will this man ever be caught? Will justice ever be served in the families of those who were killed? This reporter can say that only time will tell.  
  
Harry stared blankly down at the article. Sirius had let himself be seen. How could he be so careless? Doesn't he know that Muggles are after him also? What was Harry going to do? If the Dementors, the guards at Azkaban, caught Sirius, they would surely give him the fatal kiss (Dementors suck out your soul). And what about those people? Sirius didn't smile at them. He would never do that. Sirius wasn't insane or mental like that. He would have just gone and hide again. He wouldn't kill anyone. He didn't even kill those thirteen people. The good thing was that Harry knew Sirius had escaped. You see, Sirius is an unregistered Animagus (a witch or wizard who can transfigure into a certain animal) and Sirius could transfigure into a big, black dog. It was a little relief to Harry that he knew Sirius had gotten away, but he was now worried that everyone is going to be on high alert to look for him.  
  
Harry started to daydream about going to the Weasley's house. He wished he could leave right now. By the time 5:00 o'clock rolled around, Harry had completely forgotten about all his worries. But just then, an ear-piercing scream ruined the moment. He recognized the high-pitched scream as Aunt Petunia's and he set off down the stairs. Once he reached the hallway, Dudley came pounding past trying to get far away from the source of the scream. Maybe it was Hagrid? Aunt Petunia screamed when she saw him for the first time.  
  
Harry reached the back door and flung it open. A huge, black dog knocked Harry off his feet before he realized what was happening. Harry knew who it was as soon as he got to feet. It was Sirius. He grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck and pulled it upstairs to his room. He forced the dog under his bed so that it would be hidden. As soon as the dog's tail was shoved under, Uncle Vernon burst through the door into Harry's room.  
  
"Where is it?!?" Uncle Vernon screamed. His vein looked as though it was about to explode.  
  
"Where's what?" asked Harry trying to keep and innocent face.  
  
"You know what! Don't try to play stupid with me!" snapped Uncle Vernon.  
  
"I honestly don't know what you're talking about! All I heard was Aunt Petunia scream. I decided to stay in here because I know how much you hate it when I interfere with you." Harry said, trying not to snap back.  
  
"Very well. You got away with whatever you did this time, but next time, I'll be ready." said Uncle Vernon threateningly, "And by the way, you are not permitted to leave this room for a week because of your smart mouth."  
  
Uncle Vernon turned on his heels and stormed out of the room, making sure to slam the door so hard that it made the alarm clock on the desk fall and break. Harry was ready to pull out his wand and turn Uncle Vernon into the ugliest creature he could think of and then put a cage around it that was unbreakable. But Harry knew better. If he did this, the Ministry of Magic would expel him for sure. He had already gotten into trouble with them three years ago, and they said if he messed up again, he would be booted out of Hogwarts. Harry was sure that Professor Snape would appreciate the day Harry was expelled. Snape hated Harry from every cell in his body. So likewise, Harry hated Snape right back.  
  
"Alright. It's okay for you to come out now." Harry said to his bed.  
  
Immediately, the black dog crawled out from under the bed and started to transfigure back into a recognizable human.  
  
"It's good to see you again Harry. I've missed you so much." Sirius spoke to him in a whisper that Harry had to strain to hear.  
  
Sirius looked very stressed at the moment. He looked thinner than usual and his eyes showed a man that was trying to live. He looked as though he hadn't eaten for a few months.  
  
"Here. Eat this. You need it much more than me. At least I do get food here." Harry offered his stored food to Sirius.  
  
Thank you Harry. You are just like your father. So honest and loving. And caring." Sirius said looking down at his feet.  
  
Harry heard that often. Everyone said that he was just like his father. The only people that didn't say this were the Dursleys, and that's only because they never talked about his parents. Mentioning them was banned from the house.  
  
"What happened to you? How did you get caught? Why did you let yourself get caught? What if –…"  
  
But Sirius cut Harry short.  
  
"Harry, I didn't do it on purpose. It was Pettigrew. He did it. I dunno how, but he used some kind of hex and it turned me back to human form before I realized it. That's when all these people caught sight of me. I had to run for it. I hid behind a bush and transformed back into a dog. Then I tried searching for Pettigrew so I could get him back and try again to clear my name. But I couldn't find him." Sirius explained this very fast.  
  
"But why did you leave your cave in Hogsmeade?" questioned Harry, "You were safe there. No one would have known that you were there."  
  
"It's because of you." Sirius said with a worried expression on his face.  
  
"Me?" Harry said shocked, "Why me?"  
  
"Because of what happened at the end of the school year. I'm worried about you Harry. I can't loose you. If I lost you, I would never forgive myself. I don't want Voldemort coming to get you. I want to be here to protect you. I won't leave your side from now own. I'll write an owl to Dumbledore explaining it all so that I can act as though I'm your new pet. I won't leave you. I'm going to stand by you from now until this is all over." Sirius explained this with a note of seriousness in his voice.  
  
"I would really like that." Harry said with a smile spreading across his face.  
  
"Really? You really would? Oh, I love you Harry." Sirius cried with a single tear falling down his shaggy face. He hugged Harry for at least two minutes, but Harry didn't care how long. All he cared about was having someone there with him. He could now feel what it was like having a father.  
  
"You don't think anyone would be suspicious, do you?" asked Harry nervously, thinking of Draco Malfoy, his worst enemy at school.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Sirius as he let go of Harry.  
  
"I mean, you don't think anyone would be suspicious that I just so happened to get a dog when the school letter says only owls, cats, or frogs?"  
  
"Well, I dunno. I never really thought about it. But I'm sure Dumbledore would take care of it, providing the situations that are happening now." Sirius said gently.  
  
"Yeah, I s'pose." But Harry still didn't think that everything was going to take care of everything. He was now worried about what Snape would do. Snape knew that Sirius was a black dog and Snape and Sirius hated each other since they went to Hogwarts together.  
  
Just then, a barn owl swooped into the room with a parcel in its mouth. It dropped the package onto Harry's lap and flew into Hedwig's cage to get a drink of water. Then Pig, Ron's owl, flew in with a letter in his little beak. Pig flew down and was about to climb into Hedwig's cage for a drink, but was shoved out by the owl, who didn't seem to like Pig very well.  
  
Harry leaned over and opened the letter first and read it out loud:  
  
Hey Harry.  
  
I got your note from Hedwig, but she flew out before I could write back, so I had to send Pig with this. Anyway, I'm so glad you can come over. Mum said that we can come pick you up tomorrow around noon, so be ready. We don't know how we are coming to get you yet. I told Dad not to use Floo Powder this time, so we might come by a Muggle taxi or borrow a car from the Ministry. Have you heard anything from Sirius yet? I read in the Daily Prophet that he was seen near London. Is he okay? Has he been caught? You have to fill me in on everything tomorrow. See you then!  
  
Ron  
  
Then Harry turned to the parcel lying in his lap. Who could this be from? It didn't have any name written on the paper, or, for that matter, nothing was written on the paper. He tore open the paper and found something that made his blood run cold. He found a piece of paper with giant writing on it in what looked like blood. It said:  
  
Harry Potter, you're time is short. When you least expect it, I will strike and you will have no one to hide behind and nothing to protect you. Harry Potter, you're time will expire this year.  
  
Sirius ripped the parchment out of Harry's hand and read it. Then he grabbed for parchment and a quill and wrote very fast. He then tied the letter and the note, from who Harry guessed was Voldemort, to the barn owl and sent it off. Harry didn't have anytime to ask whom the letter was to.  
  
"We have to leave soon. No, no. We are leaving now." Sirius said in a low voice so that no one could here.  
  
Harry grabbed Pig and tossed him out the window so that he could fly back to Ron's house. Then he grabbed all his books, parchment, clothes, and his special eagle quill that Hermione had bought him and shoved it all into his trunk. Then Sirius grabbed Hedwig's cage and shrunk it with his wand and tossed that into the trunk as well. Then, to Harry's amazement, he shrunk the whole trunk and handed it to Harry to put in his pocket. Sirius then made a collar and leash appear in his hand and told him to put that around his neck when he became a dog. Then Sirius transformed back into a dog again and drug Harry down the stairs. As Harry and Sirius quietly crept out the front door, Harry slipped the collar over Sirius head and attached the leash. Now Harry looked like a normal person walking his dog.  
  
But then Harry stopped suddenly and realized he had forgotten the most important item he owned. He dashed back into the house and up the stairs. When he emerged once again from the house, he was carrying his Firebolt under his arm. Sirius transformed back quickly and shrunk the broomstick, then turned right back to a dog.  
  
Then they headed off towards the Burrow where Harry knew he would be safe for the rest of the summer. And he would be safer with Sirius right there by his side. For one shining moment, Harry was happy. He was with someone who loved him and was heading towards his best friend's house to spend the rest of his summer. Nothing could ruin this moment. 


	3. The Daily Cup

It was starting to get dark outside after they had walked about three miles.  
  
"Are we going to walk the whole way to the Burrow?" asked Harry, hoping that the answer would be no. But unfortunately, the dog shook its head yes.  
  
"That's what I figured." mumbled Harry.  
  
Then when they had walked on for what seemed like, and probably was, hours, Hedwig came flying down and landed on Harry's shoulder. She then dropped a letter into Harry's hand. Harry paused and opened the letter, hoping that it wasn't another death threat, and started to read it:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Have your Aunt and Uncle given you an answer yet about staying at Ron's house? I hope they say yes. My parents have agreed to let me stay over there again this summer. Have you heard from Sirius? I'm really worried about him. I read about him being seen by Muggles in the Daily Prophet. I really hope he is okay. I mustn't forget to tell you, I went to stay with Viktor Krum in Bulgaria for two weeks. I'll tell you all about that later, hopefully at the Weasley's house, but if not, then on the Hogwarts Express. Hope to see you soon!  
  
Hermione  
  
  
  
Harry bent over and showed Sirius the letter. He read it furiously, and then pulled Harry along so that they could hopefully reach the Burrow before sunrise.  
  
As they walked along in the pitch black, Hedwig nipped Harry's ear in affection and flew off into the night. Harry watched as the white figure in the sky slowly disappear and the sky once again became a dull black. Harry's stomach started to grumble as they reached the end of a street. Harry realized that he left all of his stored food from his friends hidden in his room. He had forgotten to bring it with him. Now they were going to go hungry. The Dursleys never gave Harry any Muggle money. Sirius must have been hungry too because he kept stopping to sniff every time they passed by a restaurant. Harry didn't even know where he was going. He didn't know the way to the Burrow. But Sirius seemed like he did because he led the way everywhere they went. As they walked along a dark street, Harry saw something in the street that made him cry out with joy.  
  
"Oh! Look Sirius! Ten pounds! That will be enough to buy us breakfast!" Harry yelled. He pulled the leash towards the sidewalk to where the money was lying. "I can't believe someone lost ten pounds!"  
  
Harry pocketed the money quickly so that no one would come back and claim it.  
  
"The only problem is that no restaurant is going to be open this early in the morning. It's still too dark outside. I guess we'll have to wait a little longer." Harry sighed.  
  
Sirius gave a little whimper as he started to trudge along down the street. Harry caught up with him and they walked side by side towards a little city on the horizon.  
  
By the time they had finally reached the city, the sun was staring to rise. This was perfect for Harry and Sirius. The restaurants would surely be opening now.  
  
"C'mon. Someone has got to be open." Harry beckoned Sirius to follow.  
  
They walked down a street that was slowly starting to fill with people. Some people were staring down at Harry and Sirius with curiosity filling their eyes. They were wondering where such a young boy would ever get a dog so big and where was he from and where his parents were. Harry was ignoring the people's comments as he strolled down the street, now fully crowded, and glancing at all the stores, hoping to find a place to eat soon. Then Harry stopped at a little shop that had paint peeling off the window. It had the name of the store on it. It was called The Daily Cup. A short, stout man was walking up to the door and flipped over the sign that read CLOSED and now revealed a sign that read OPEN.  
  
"This place sounds good to me right now. What about you?" Harry asked anxiously.  
  
Sirius gave a bark that Harry could not doubt was a yes.  
  
Harry strolled into the little store that turned out to be a coffee shop. He brought Sirius in with him, hoping that the owner would allow Sirius to stay inside the building and eat along with himself. The owner came bustling over to Harry and guided him to a seat at the back of the shop.  
  
"Ah, my first customer of the morning. Here is your menu. I shall give you a few minutes to decide what you would like." Said the man very happily as he shuffled off behind the counter.  
  
The menu was in the shape of a coffee cup, which highly amused Sirius.  
  
"I dunno what I want. It all sounds so good. Even though I have never had coffee before. What about you?" asked Harry.  
  
Sirius pointed his wet nose to a section of the menu. It read:  
  
Doughnuts  
  
Six Doughnuts 3 pounds  
  
Twelve Doughnuts 6 pounds  
  
Twenty-Four Doughnuts 12 pounds  
  
Specialty Drinks  
  
Coco Moco Latte' 6 pounds  
  
Choco Rocko 5 pounds  
  
Regular Coffee 2 pounds  
  
Decaf Coffee 3 pounds  
  
Chocolate Milk 1 pound  
  
"And which of which did you want?" Harry asked, astonished that Sirius knew what all this stuff was.  
  
Sirius pointed to the box of six doughnuts and the Coco Moco Latte'. To Harry's surprise, the man came strolling back to the table.  
  
"And what would you like to get this wonderful morning young man?" asked the man who seemed to be happy to have a customer.  
  
"Umm… I would like to have the box of six doughnuts and a chocolate milk." Said Harry wanting to order more, but he knew he didn't have enough money.  
  
"And what would the dog like?" asked the man considerably.  
  
"What? Oh, the dog. Right. He said he would like a Coco Moco Latte'." Explained Harry, feeling slightly dumb ordering for a dog. But the man didn't seem to care that Sirius was a dog, but saw him as another customer.  
  
Then Harry heard the ting of the bell hanging above the door and looked over to see who it was. Harry could have fallen out of his seat at the person he saw walking in.  
  
"The normal Hagrid?" asked the man.  
  
"Yes. Thank yeh Tim." Said Hagrid jubilantly.  
  
"Hagrid!" yelled Harry almost immediately.  
  
"Harry? Is that you?" Hagrid asked, his beetle-black eyes glowing with joy.  
  
"Yeah. It's me. Come sit over here with me." Exclaimed Harry.  
  
Hagrid walked over while the man came over with Harry and Sirius's food, and now carrying Hagrid's along with him.  
  
"The Coco Moco Latte'?" asked the man.  
  
"Oh, him…over there." Harry was pointing to the dog.  
  
"Okay, and they Chocolate Milk and doughnuts?" the man asked promptly.  
  
"That would be me. Thank you very much." Harry added as he was now putting down Hagrid's glass. Then the man walked away with a look of satisfaction of having three customers in one day, that is, if you count Sirius also.  
  
"I'll ah…I'll be back, k Harry?" asked Hagrid with a look of guilt on his face.  
  
"Yeah, okay. I won't leave or anything." Said Harry with an expression of utmost happiness on his face.  
  
Hagrid got to his feet and walked over to the man named Tim and started to talk to him in a whisper. Hagrid hadn't even noticed the dog when he sat down. That's weird. Hagrid was always the one to notice big creatures. Hagrid then came back about two minutes later.  
  
"What were you talking to him about?" asked Harry curiously.  
  
"Oh, nuthin." Hagrid said.  
  
"You're hiding something Hagrid. I know it. You have that face. You don't have another dragon or anything do you? Because if you do-…"  
  
"No, no. It's nothing like that. Don' yeh go an worry 'bout that. Just enjoy yehself. Yeh haven't even touched yeh doughnuts. Aren't yeh gonna eat them?" said Hagrid, still concealing something.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about them. Would you like one Hagrid?" Harry asked while handing a doughnut down to Sirius and then taking one for himself.  
  
"Nah, I'm good. But thanks fer askin' an all." Said Hagrid.  
  
Tim came bustling over with the checks for Hagrid and then one for Harry.  
  
"That's all the money I found." Said Harry in a low tone to Sirius.  
  
"Hey Harry, before yeh leave, I uh…I uh…well, just don' leave yet." exclaimed Hagrid.  
  
"Why?" Harry asked while packing away the doughnuts to save for later.  
  
"Cause' yeh just can't leave yet." said Hagrid with a guilty look on his face yet again.  
  
Then Tim came running over with what looked as though it was a cake he had just ran and put together. Then he placed the cake down on the table and started to sing.  
  
"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear, er…dear, er…dear Harry, Happy Birthday to you!" sang Tim.  
  
"Happy Birthday Harry!" yelled Hagrid excitedly.  
  
Harry had completely forgotten that today was his birthday. He was so caught up in the moment that he forgot to see what day it was. He, Harry, was now fifteen. This made Harry even happier. Hagrid pulled out a present from his moleskin overcoat and handed it Harry.  
  
"Go on then. Open it." Said Hagrid with a look of joy sweeping over his face.  
  
Harry, who was still shocked, starting opening the present. He pulled the paper off and saw what it was. It was a plaque that had writing on it that made Harry want to scream. It read that Harry was chosen as Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. This was all really happening. He was now captain! Harry was speechless, but Hagrid took that as a note of him loving his gift.  
  
"Dumbledore told me himself. Told me yeh were gonna be Captain this year, so I went an got a plaque fer yeh. Thought it make yeh happy." Said Hagrid.  
  
"I love it!" Harry yelled excitedly, "I can't tell you how much this means to me Hagrid. Thank you so much!"  
  
"Well, I best be off an all. Dumbledore's waitin' fer me back at Hogwarts. I'll see yeh there in a month Harry." Hagrid said while walking out the door and heading down the street.  
  
Then before Harry could get up, Sirius came pouncing onto his lap with a present in his mouth. He dropped the gift onto Harry's lap for him to open. Harry grabbed it and started to open it. It was a giant picture of him, his dad, his mom, and Sirius, all standing there, waving right back at Harry, all with smiles on their faces without a care in the world.  
  
"Thank you Sirius. This really means a lot to me." Harry was now on the verge of tears, "Well, we better get going if we want to make it to the Burrow by tonight."  
  
Harry packed up the cake, waved good-bye and thank you to Tim, then left the store and out onto the crowded street. They headed of to the East this time and set off once more for the Burrow. 


	4. The Surprise

Harry could tell they were going to reach the Burrow today. He knew it. Sirius must have known it too because he was walking a little quicker than usual. Harry wondered what time it was. Had the Weasleys gone to his house to pick him up? Did they find that he was missing? Harry wondered how he was going to explain things to Mr. And Mars. Weasley. He knew he could tell Ron and Hermione the truth, but what about the others? How would he tell them why he had walked to their house? Harry thought about this for a couple of minutes. Sirius didn't notice that Harry had stopped, but when he did, he barked loud enough to jolt Harry back. He ran to catch back up to Sirius and they walked on some more.  
  
By nightfall, Harry and Sirius started to get hungry then. They both sat down under a tree and Harry pulled out the box of doughnuts from earlier. They had just finished the rest of the box when Hedwig landed on Sirius's back. In her beak was a blank piece of parchment, a quill, and tied to leg, a bottle of ink. Harry stared blankly at Hedwig, wondering why she had brought this to him.  
  
"I think she wants me to write to Ron. I think she knows that he is worrying about me."  
  
No sooner had Harry finished this sentence, Pig flew down out of nowhere.  
  
"Hey Pig." Harry said. Hedwig chattered her beak in annoyance as Pig flew over their head.  
  
"I don't think Hedwig likes him too much." Harry told Sirius. Sirius snorted as if he were agreeing. Hedwig started to pick at Harry's clothes.  
  
"Sorry Hedwig. I don't have any food for you." Harry tried to explain, but Hedwig took off looking extremely annoyed.  
  
Pig then took the opportunity to drop the letter on top of Harry's head. Harry grabbed the letter and read it:  
  
Hey Harry!  
  
Where are you? Where did you go? The Dursleys didn't even realize that you had left! We came by at noon and walked up to the door and knocked. Your Uncle opened the door and called for you. He then ran up the steps to your room and busted the door open and found that you and your stuff were all gone! What happened? Are you okay? Hermione's here and she's worried about you too. I won't even start about how my Mum's ranting on about how you could be in danger. Send word that you're okay!  
  
Ron  
  
Harry grabbed the parchment and the quill Hedwig left. He dipped the quill into the bottle of ink and started to write:  
  
Dear Ron and Hermione,  
  
I'm okay. You can stop worrying. I left the Dursley's house yesterday and started walking to your house. I believe I have almost reached your house. I should be there soon. I'll explain everything when I get there.  
  
Harry  
  
Harry forcefully tied the letter onto Pig's leg and let him take off. Harry looked down to find where the quill and bottle of ink went, but it had all vanished.  
  
"That's weird." Harry mumbled to Sirius, but Sirius had disappeared also, "Sirius?"  
  
Then a bark came from the other the other side of Harry. There was Sirius standing on a hill, looking down at something. Harry ran over and saw what Sirius had been staring at. Though it was completely black outside, Harry could make out a silhouette of a house that had too many stories on the horizon. It was the Burrow, but it was still about ten miles away.  
  
"Let's celebrate!" Harry exclaimed to Sirius, "C'mon, we can eat the cake!"  
  
Sirius let out a bark of joy and came running over and starting eating. Harry was grabbing chunks by the handful and stuffing it into his mouth.  
  
In about five minutes time, they had eaten every last crumb of cake and decided to finish the journey.  
  
They had started to walk again. Harry now had his mind set on finally getting to the house and finally being able to sleep. He was so tired and zoning off that he didn't realize that he was finally walking up the driveway to the Burrow.  
  
When Harry reached the door, he realized where he was.  
  
"We're here!" yelled Harry as he threw himself up to the front door, Sirius at his heels.  
  
Harry knocked three times, anxious to see everyone again. No one answered the door. He tried knocking again. Maybe they didn't hear him? He tried knocking one more time. Still, no one answered. Harry reached for the doorknob and turned it and pushed the door open. The whole house was dark and silent. This was very odd. Harry stepped one foot inside the house before he was thrown backwards by a rush of noise.  
  
"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled as the lights flickered on and everyone appeared out from behind furniture.  
  
Harry was in shock.  
  
"Hey Harry!" It was Ron and Hermione.  
  
"We were waiting forever for you. Pig flew in and gave us the note from you and we decided to throw you a surprise party. But we didn't know it would take you so long to get here!" Ron said in a great fury of words.  
  
"I missed you Harry! I got worried when Ron told me he hadn't found you at the Dursley's house." Hermione gasped to get in.  
  
"Hey Harry! Where'd ya go?" It was the Weasley twins, Fred and George, "We looked all over for ya, but we couldn't find you anywhere!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley bustled her way over and gave Harry a huge hug and squeezed all the air out of Harry's lungs.  
  
"It's good to see you to Mrs. Weasley." Harry gasped.  
  
"Oh dear! Where on earth did you go?" Mrs. Weasley spoke in a whisper. She let go of Harry so that he would be able to talk.  
  
"Umm…Hey Mum, why don't you let Harry put his stuff away in my room first. Then we can celebrate later." Ron announced, trying to get Harry away from the crowd of people.  
  
"Well, alright then. Be back shortly. I don't want the cake to spoil." Added Mrs. Weasley.  
  
Ron nudged Hermione to come along as they set off up the flights of stairs to the very top, which is where Ron's room sat. They entered and let Sirius through.  
  
"Okay, you can change now." Ron told the dog.  
  
Right before their eyes, the black dog changed into Sirius.  
  
"It's good to see you two again. Been keeping out of trouble I s'pose?" Sirius spoke so softly so that no one downstairs heard him.  
  
"Hey Sirius, can you undo that thingy you did to my trunk?" Harry asked impatiently.  
  
"Oh yeah…Sure. Just gimme the trunk." Sirius added more brightly.  
  
Sirius took out his wand and tapped the trunk and mumbled a few words that Harry couldn't make out. Then the trunk sprang back into its normal size and Harry unpacked everything, including his Firebolt.  
  
"I see you've been taking care of it." Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah, I've been using the Servicing Kit you bought me. It works really well. It makes it look brand new." Harry added politely, making Hermione turn red.  
  
"But it is brand new!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
Harry nudged Ron hard in the rubs to get him to shut up. Sirius smiled and then turned back into a dog and pounded his way back downstairs.  
  
"Why did you leave?" asked Hermione, now remembering why she was up here.  
  
"Oh…yeah, 'bout that. I got a letter from someone, who I can only guess was Voldemort (Ron flinched at the sound of his name) that said that my time was short. He said he was going to kill me this year and that there was no one to protect me from him this time. That's when Sirius told me I had to leave now. So I packed up and left." Harry explained.  
  
"So what happened with Sirius?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yeah, I read about it in the Muggle newspaper and then Sirius burst into the house and I hid him in my room. He said he's going to stay with me the whole year. He says he wants to protect me from the same fate that my parents faced." Harry answered.  
  
"Well that's nice." Hermione mentioned.  
  
"Yeah but what will Snape say…or do?" Ron asked.  
  
"I don't know, but Sirius said Dumbledore would take care of it." Harry added.  
  
"What's taking you guys so long?" Mrs. Weasley yelled.  
  
"We're coming down now Mum!" Ron bellowed back.  
  
"I guess we'll have to finish this conversation later." Harry muttered to them.  
  
Then they went down the long flights of stairs and went into the kitchen when they reached the bottom.  
  
The kitchen was decorated in balloons and banners reading: Happy Birthday Harry! And another said: Potter For President, obviously it was the same banner that they used at Harry's first Quidditch game.  
  
"Happy Birthday dear." Mrs. Weasley said, handing him a gift.  
  
  
  
Everyone else followed and shoved gifts into Harry's arms. Everyone congratulated him and gave him more gifts. Later on, he started opening them. Mrs. Weasley had gotten him a watch that was unlike a Muggle watch. It had twelve hands, but no numbers on it.  
  
"We'll explain it to you later." Ron mumbled into Harry's ear.  
  
Fred and George had given him some of their latest inventions. One of which was a fake wand and some Ton Tongue Toffee. Mr. Weasley got Harry a book all about the Ministry of Magic, hoping that Harry would join when he finishes school. Ginny got Harry a kit to clean your wand. Hermione got Harry a subscription to Quidditch Monthly (thanks so much Hermione!) and Ron got Harry a huge box of assorted candies, which included Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pastries and a stack of wizard trading cards (they were all my doubles).  
  
"This is all great you guys. Thanks a lot." Harry said as a yawn broke out.  
  
"I think it's time for all of us to get some rest now. All right, off you go. Get to bed." Mrs. Weasley spoke as she shooed them all up the stairs.  
  
"See you in the morning." Hermione said to Ron and Harry. She then turned and entered the room on the left with Ginny. Ron and Harry climbed the rest of the way up and got into their beds. Harry stared up at the ceiling, watching bright yellow blobs zooming across the posters on the walls. The Chudley Cannons were Ron's favorite Quidditch team. His whole room was covered in posters of them. As the seeker on the team was about to catch the Snitch, Harry drifted off into a deep sleep. 


	5. The Revealing Dream

When Harry finally woke up the next day, Ron was already gone. He got up and looked around. No sign of Sirius either. Harry threw on some clothes and went running down the stairs. Everyone must be in the kitchen having breakfast.  
  
"You're finally up?" said George.  
  
"Jeeze, it took ya long enough!" bellowed Fred.  
  
"Now, now boys. Harry has been through a lot. He deserves to get some rest. But as for you two, you can go de-gnome the backyard." Mrs. Weasley said with a tone of power in her voice.  
  
"Aww. But Mum!" Fred and George pleaded.  
  
"No! Now get going." Replied Mrs. Weasley.  
  
Fred and George got up from the table and headed out the back door. Mrs. Weasley then shuffled over to Harry and placed a plate full of food in front of him.  
  
"Thanks!" Harry said.  
  
Harry dug right into the pancakes. He then went for the sausages and then the different eggs, fried and scrambled, and then dove into the home fries, and finally, the toast.  
  
"That was delicious!" Harry beamed.  
  
"Why thank you dear. Now go on and do whatever you'd like." Mrs. Weasley said.  
  
Harry ran back upstairs and grabbed his Firebolt. Then he joined Ron at the bottom of the stairs and headed outside onto a field behind the house. Harry mounted his broom and kicked off the ground. He felt the air swooshing past him as he rose high into the air. This was one thing Harry loved most about being a wizard. He loved to fly. It was his favorite pastime. Ron joined him in the air on his Cleansweep. After Fred and George had finished, they too joined Harry and Ron in the air. They all flew around the field throwing apples at one another to try to knock them off their broomsticks.  
  
"Oi! Harry! You wanna practice for the Cup? We're gonna get it. I feel it in me bones!" Fred yelled over the wind.  
  
"Sure!" Harry answered back.  
  
Fred dove down to the ground and ran inside the house and came back with a box full of different balls. None of which were the actual balls, but just modeled after them that you had to throw. They practiced by throwing the balls at one another. Fred and George jinxed the Bludgers to explode whenever they hit someone they threw it at. They practiced and played all day until the sky started to darken and the sun slowly set behind the horizon.  
  
"Fred! George! Ron! Harry!" bellowed Mrs. Weasley, "Come inside! It's getting dark out. And besides, dinner is ready."  
  
The four of them landed on the ground and headed back into the kitchen. They all placed their broomsticks in the corner and grabbed a seat at the table. Sirius ran over and plopped himself down next to Harry. A couple of minutes later, Hermione and Ginny entered the room and sat down on the other side of the table. Mrs. Weasley looked up at her clock and read it:  
  
Arthur Weasley: Work  
  
Percy Weasley: Work  
  
"Oh, those two work so late anymore. The Ministry never lets them come home on time, especially Percy. Ever since Mr. Crouch was uh…murdered and everything. He has taken his place you know." Mrs. Weasley explained to Hermione and Harry.  
  
Mrs. Weasley handed out the dinner plates and filled them with wondrous food. They all ate and talked and Harry told them how Hagrid told him that he was now the new Gryffindor Captain.  
  
"Blimey Harry! You really are lucky!" George spat out with mouthful of food.  
  
"Now George! Where are your manners? Don't talk with your mouth full!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.  
  
"Sorry Mum." George mumbled.  
  
Ron and Harry sniggered under the table and tried to hide their smiles so they wouldn't be so obvious. Just then, several owls swooped in through the open window and landed in front of Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George. They each carried and envelope with emerald green writing on it.  
  
"Oh! The school lists are here!" Hermione squeaked with joy as she grabbed her letter and ripped it open.  
  
Harry opened his and started to read:  
  
  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.  
  
Fifth years are still permitted to visit Hogsmeade on certain weekends during the year. Your permission forms have been kept and are on record.  
  
A list of books for next year is enclosed.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Professor McGonagall  
  
Deputy Headmistress  
  
Harry finished the letter and turned to the list of books and read:  
  
FIFTH-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:  
  
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk  
  
Caring for Magical Creatures by Emerald Haverford  
  
Protecting Yourself from Dark Forces by Mad-Eye Moody  
  
A Thousand Years of Triumph and Defeat by Ismeric Switch  
  
Gazing into the Future by Valliet Murtley  
  
Brew Yourself an Answer by Derrick Mogley  
  
Transfiguring Into Wonders by Merrit Blodgle  
  
Herbs and Fungi Uses for Everyday Life by Lucidre Cashwir  
  
"Same old, same old. Nothing new." Fred said depressed.  
  
"What did you expect? You should be happy that there isn't anymore books written by Lockhart the we need!" Ron said.  
  
"True." Fred agreed.  
  
There was a click on the door and Mr. Weasley and Percy walked into the house.  
  
"Good evening dear." Mr. Weasley said to Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Hey Percy. Business booming as usual?" George asked sarcastically.  
  
"At least I have a real job, unlike your, shall I say, dream job." Percy snorted, noting the sarcasm.  
  
"Yeah, you just wait Percy. Me and Fred are going to become rich and famous and just leave you back in the dust!" George screamed at Percy.  
  
"Sure you will." Percy answered back, "Rich and famous. Ha! Like that would ever happen."  
  
Fred had to hold George back from attacking Percy.  
  
"Now boys. Please behave. We do have company over you know." Mrs. Weasley said, nodding to Harry and Hermione.  
  
"Well tell that to that low-life piece of--"  
  
"That's enough! Both of you stop your bickering now! I do not want anymore fighting in this house for the rest of the night! Do you all understand?" Mrs. Weasley said threateningly.  
  
"Yes." Everyone mumbled together.  
  
"Good. Now let it stay that way." Mrs. Weasley said as she stormed out of the room. Sirius ran off as Mrs. Weasley left.  
  
"Hey Ron, let's go up to your room." Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Alright. Let's go now." Ron answered.  
  
Ron, Hermione, and Harry got up and walked over to the corner and grabbed their broomsticks and then headed upstairs. When they opened the door, Harry found Hedwig chatting her beak at Sirius. She looked as though she were annoyed by the presence of the dog. Ron turned and locked the door once everyone was through. Sirius then turned back into himself.  
  
"Hey you guys. I heard yelling downstairs. What happened?" asked Sirius.  
  
"Oh, nothing. George and Percy just got into a fight. That's all. Nothing big." Ron explained.  
  
"Oh…okay." Sirius said.  
  
Then a screech owl flew in through the window and tossed a letter into Sirius's hands. Sirius opened the letter and read it. After he was finished with the letter, he handed it to Harry to read:  
  
Dear Sirius,  
  
I received your letter of concern along with the letter from the mystery person. I am quite worried for our young Harry, but there is not much we can do at this present moment. I will indeed allow you to come and stay with Harry here at Hogwarts. I will talk to Professor Snape and inform him on the current situation we are dealing with. As for Lord Voldemort, I do not know what to do. But that is not of concern right now. Right now we must worry about how to get you through Hogwarts without arising any suspicion among the teachers and the students. Until then, best wishes to you and good luck. And by the way, please try to stay out of sight of any Muggles or anyone for that matter. Be safe and smart Sirius.  
  
Dumbledore  
  
Harry handed the letter to Ron and Hermione when he had finished. They read it and their faces had an expression of happiness and horror at the same time. Harry tried hard not to laugh at the expressions. It was a comical sight. Even Sirius had to hide his face to control himself from laughing.  
  
"Oh Harry! Well, the good news is about Sirius, but what about He-Who-Must- Not-Be-Named?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Who? Voldemort?" Harry asked.  
  
"Stop saying his name!" Ron yelled.  
  
"Shhh!" Harry said, "We can't be heard! Sirius is here, remember?"  
  
"Well, what are we going to do about You-Know-Who?" Ron asked gloomily.  
  
"We're not doing anything. I will fight Voldemort. It is my fight with him. Not yours. I don't want to get all of you involved. Besides, I'm going to do what Dumbledore said, and that is to wait." Harry answered.  
  
"Harry, please be reasonable." Hermione pleaded.  
  
"I am. You both aren't getting involved." Harry answered sharply.  
  
"Why don't we all just get some sleep." Sirius said, looking at the faces of all three of them.  
  
"Alright." Ron said.  
  
"G'night Hermione." Ron mumbled.  
  
"Good-night." Harry said.  
  
"See you all in the morning." Hermione said as she left the room.  
  
Sirius changed back into a dog and curled up in a warm spot on the floor and fell sound asleep. Ron crawled into his bed and fell asleep rather fast. Harry just lay there, as still as stone, trying not to wake anyone up. He stared out the window and started to imagine his parents. He remembered everything that happened last year. He remembered the Triwizard Tournament and, most of all, the last task. The task in which Cedric Diggory and himself were transported to a graveyard where Cedric had been killed and where Voldemort rose to power once again. He remembered how his wand and Voldemort's wand had interlocked in a spell and his parent's ghosts came out and told Harry to be strong. Harry had barely escaped with his life.  
  
Before Harry realized it, he had fallen asleep. He had a dream that was unlike any dream he had ever had. He seemed to only be about one year old. He turned his head and saw a couple standing near a fireplace. They turned around and came walking over to Harry. It was his mother and father. They picked Harry up and started to talk to him and play games with him. Harry had never been happier. Then a man walked in and came striding towards his father. Harry recognized the man as a young Sirius Black. Sirius took Harry into his hands and bounced him up and down. Harry was enjoying this all. He was with his parents and his godfather. Nothing could ruin this moment.  
  
Then a tall, dark figure in a cloak entered the house with a wand held out, pointing at his father. Sirius handed Harry to his mother and started towards the figure with his wand held out, prepared to fight. Harry heard a spell being shouted and the next moment, Sirius was launched across the room and landed unconscious against the wall. Harry's mother locked herself and Harry in another room. Harry could hear everything going on. He heard the man scream Avada Kedavra! It was the Killing Curse. His father was now dead. The man then burst through the door and started on Harry's mother. She pleaded with the man, but all he did was laugh at her. Then he killed her with the same curse. And then the man turned on Harry. The man screamed the curse and green light shot out of the wand at Harry's head. Harry screamed.  
  
"AAAHHHHH!" Harry was screaming. His face was sweaty and his scar had searing pain shooting in it.  
  
"Harry! HARRY! Are you okay?" Sirius and Ron were bent over him.  
  
"It was a dream." Harry said.  
  
"About what?" Sirius asked.  
  
"About the night Voldemort came and killed my parents. It has never been so vivid and real before." Harry kept wincing at the pain on his head, "And you were there Sirius."  
  
Sirius looked away from Harry quickly, trying not to catch his eyes.  
  
"You were there, weren't you?" questioned Harry, now sitting up on his bed.  
  
"I, er…I was, yes. I was there that night." Sirius answered, still staring at the floor.  
  
"What happened?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well, I tried to stop You-Know-Who. But it didn't work. He put the Cruciatus Curse on me. Your father stopped it though, but it sent me flying across the room. I should have killed him Harry. I should have saved your parents. I'm so sorry." Sirius explained, now looking right at Harry.  
  
"It's not your fault. Voldemort was too powerful. You wouldn't have been able to stop him by yourself." Harry answered quietly.  
  
Sirius smiled very faintly. Ron, on the other hand, looked very angry.  
  
"What happened? What's wrong with you?" Harry asked flatly.  
  
"I tell you all the time! Would you please stop saying his name?!?" Ron said through gritted teeth.  
  
"I'm sorry Ron. I'll try harder." Harry said.  
  
"Let's get back to sleep. It's four a.m. We'll be getting up soon enough." Sirius said coolly.  
  
They all got into bed and fell asleep. Everyone except Harry. Harry still thought about the dream. So Voldemort killed his parents with one of the Unforgivable Curses. That's what the flash of green light was. And he had tried to use it on him. But it backfired and hit him. It didn't work because Harry was protected by his mother, but not anymore. Voldemort took some of Harry's blood, so now Harry was defenseless. He didn't know what to do. Harry looked out the window and watched as the sun started to rise. He never realized he had been awake all that time. He got up, changed, grabbed his Firebolt, and bolted out of the room and went outside, right back to the field.  
  
Harry mounted his broom and kicked hard off the ground. The cool air rushing past his face felt refreshing to Harry and woke him up. He soared around the field, diving every which way and just zooming all over. He tried the Wronski Feint a couple of times, trying to perfect it for this year's games. Hopefully he would use it against Slytherin and cream Malfoy straight into the ground. This made Harry smile. Anything that had to do with Malfoy getting hurt always pleased Harry, even in the worst of moods. Hopefully it will work on him. Then Harry could beat him and hopefully win the Cup.  
  
As the sun rose higher into the air, Harry guessed that everyone would be waking up soon. And he was right. Sirius came pouncing out the back door and sat down under Harry, watching him fly around. Harry thought that Sirius probably missed flying on a broom. Then after Sirius, Ron and Hermione came running out.  
  
"Hey Harry! Guess what!" Ron yelled up to Harry.  
  
"What?" asked Harry.  
  
"We're going to Diagon Alley today! C'mon!" Ron yelled back. 


	6. An Old Teammate

Harry landed softly onto the ground and hopped off his broomstick. He caught up with Ron, Sirius, and Hermione as they all went into the house. Harry jogged up the stairs to get his bag of money out of his trunk and ran back down into the kitchen.  
  
"Hello dear. Just to let you know, we are going to be traveling by Floo Powder again." Mrs. Weasley spoke softly.  
  
"Okay." Harry mumbled. He remembered the last time he had used Floo Powder. He ended up in a store in Knockturn Alley. He never wanted to go there again.  
  
"Do you remember how to use it?" Mr. Weasley asked.  
  
"Yes." Harry replied.  
  
Fred walked up to the jar and took out a pinch of the powder and walked up to the fireplace, which had a cackling fire in it. Fred threw the powder in and the flames turned green. Fred walked in and yelled "Diagon Alley!" and he disappeared. George followed and did the same thing.  
  
"Your turn Harry." Mrs. Weasley said.  
  
Sirius came bounding up to Harry's heels.  
  
"No Sirius." Harry whispered, "You've gotta stay here. I'll be alright. Don't worry."  
  
Harry took a pinch of the powder and threw it into the fire. The fire roared and turned an emerald green right in front of his eyes. He stepped in and felt the warmth spread over him as the flames licked his arms.  
  
"Diagon Alley!" Harry yelled as ash flew into his mouth. He closed his mouth very quickly so that he wouldn't swallow any of it. He felt himself start to spin as the chimney flew out of view. He started to spin very fast by now and saw fireplaces spiraling past. He felt dizzy and sick. He shut his eyes and hoped that he would land in Diagon Alley. Harry could feel himself start to slow down. The sick feeling in his stomach was starting to lift.  
  
Harry suddenly felt his feet hit solid ground. He opened his eyes and saw Fred and George standing on the other side of the flames. Harry leapt out of the fire and headed towards Fred and George.  
  
"You made it!" Fred shouted.  
  
"Yeah…I guess I did, didn't I." Harry said proudly.  
  
The fire turned green again and Ron stepped out.  
  
"Hey Harry! You made it!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"We already established that." George said.  
  
"Oh shut-up. I wasn't here to see it, now was I?" Ron said angrily.  
  
"Now boys, don't start." Said a disembodied voice. Mrs. Weasley appeared in the fire and stepped out, "I don't want any fights today either."  
  
After Mrs. Weasley came Ginny, and finally, Hermione.  
  
They all said their good-byes and went their separate ways. Fred and George went off down the street to what looked like a joke shop, and Ginny and Mrs. Weasley headed off to the Apothecary. Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed off towards Flourish and Blotts. They went inside and found the manager helping a boy who looked as though he was going to start his first year at Hogwarts.  
  
"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" called a boy from behind them.  
  
They turned around and saw their fellow Gryffindors, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas.  
  
"Hey you guys." Harry answered back.  
  
"Did you see Oliver?" Seamus asked.  
  
"No." Harry said confused.  
  
"He's right outside. He wanted to find you, but didn't know if you were here today." Dean chimed in.  
  
"I'll be right back." Harry said to the five of them.  
  
Harry walked outside the store and saw Oliver staring into the window of Quidditch Quality Supplies.  
  
"Oliver!" Harry yelled over the crowd.  
  
Oliver Wood turned around and came bustling towards Harry. Oliver was on his second year out of Hogwarts. He used to be Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain and a very good Keeper on the team.  
  
"Harry! Good to see you again. Tell me, did you guys win the Quidditch Cup last year? And, oh yeah, who's the new captain? Is it Alicia? Angelina?" Oliver questioned.  
  
"There was no Quidditch matches last year. They were all canceled." Harry replied.  
  
"What?" Oliver looked puzzled.  
  
"Hogwarts hosted a Triwizard Tournament" Harry said.  
  
"Oh. That would explain it. Who were the champions?" Oliver asked even more interested.  
  
"Well, there was Viktor Krum…"  
  
"Krum? The Viktor Krum?" Oliver spat.  
  
"Yeah…and, let's see, oh yeah, there was Fleur Delacor and Cedric Diggory…and me." Harry finished.  
  
"You? But how? There's only s'posed to be three champions." Oliver said.  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's a very long story and I don't have the time right now." Harry said flatly.  
  
"Well, who won?" asked Oliver.  
  
"Me." Harry said.  
  
"You beat Cedric?" Oliver was beyond confused.  
  
"You mean you didn't hear?" Harry asked astounded.  
  
"No, what?" Oliver asked.  
  
"Cedric was killed during the final task by Voldemort." Harry explained.  
  
Oliver shivered at the sound of Voldemort's name.  
  
"Oh…well…I've a…I've got to go." Oliver said, now looking thoroughly depressed.  
  
"Okay, well, I'll see you around." Harry said.  
  
"Yeah…bye Harry." Oliver said as he turned on his heel and sped off towards the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
Harry turned around and headed back in to Flourish and Blotts.  
  
"We picked out your books Harry." Hermione said.  
  
"Okay, thanks." Harry said.  
  
"Oh Harry!" Oliver was back.  
  
"Yeah?" asked Harry.  
  
"I forgot to tell you what I wanted you for." Oliver said.  
  
"Okay?" Harry said, a little worried.  
  
"Well…" Oliver puffed out his chest, "I'm going to be Gryffindor's personal trainer!"  
  
"What?!?" Harry found himself saying.  
  
"Yes! Hogwarts is allowing one trainer per team, and I offered my help to Dumbledore. Great man, he is!" Oliver said, looking thoroughly proud of himself, "Oh, and by the way, you never did mention who the new captain was."  
  
"Oh, well, you'll have to find out then, now won't you." Harry said while laughing.  
  
"You are a funny one!" Oliver managed to say as he left the store.  
  
Harry turned back around and faced his friends.  
  
"Well, that was very interesting." Ron said.  
  
"Yeah, well, what can I say. That's Oliver for you." Harry shrugged his shoulders.  
  
They all walked over and started picking up the books they needed for the school year.  
  
"Ugh…I really don't feel like taking Divination anymore." Ron said.  
  
"Yeah. I'm running out of disasterous things to happen to me." Harry chuckled.  
  
"You two should have taken Arithmacy then." Hermione said matter-of-factly.  
  
Harry and Ron shrugged their shoulders and walked up to the manager. The manager totaled the amount and took the money from each of them and shooed them out of the store.  
  
"Well, this is where we have to leave." Seamus told Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  
  
"Yeah. We'll see you guys on the train." Harry said.  
  
"Yup. See you then." Neville said cheerily.  
  
The three of them turned and headed down the street. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned and headed of to the Apothecary. They needed a refill on all of their ingredients. Then they finished their shopping and met up with Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ginny.  
  
"Well, let's head for home." Mrs. Weasley said brightly.  
  
* * *  
  
They all appeared back in the house five minutes later and they all packed the new school supplies in their trunks.  
  
"I'm ready to go back tomorrow." Ron said.  
  
"Yeah. But I guess we'll just have to wait." Harry replied.  
  
"Yeah. I guess so." Ron added.  
  
They all met up at dinner that night. All the Weasleys and the two guests crowded around and enjoyed a meal prepared by Mrs. Weasley (with a little help of magic).  
  
"This is delicious Mum!" Fred bellowed.  
  
"Well thank you, dear. I prepared almost all myself. I just used a bit of magic to make it cook faster, but other than that, I did it myself." Mrs. Weasley puffed out her chest in pride.  
  
"Wow. You're getting better at cooking." George added.  
  
Mrs. Weasley beamed at the comments she was getting from the family. Her face held a smile that Harry had rarely ever seen, considering the fact that Fred and George usually kept her from smiling.  
  
After everyone finished their dessert, Mrs. Weasley sent them all off to bed.  
  
"You need a good night's sleep. Now go on, off to bed." Mrs. Weasley spoke.  
  
They went their separate ways and headed to their rooms. Harry and Ron climbed all the way to the top and plopped down onto their bed. Before long, the two of them drifted off to sleep while Sirius curled up at the bottom of the bed and joined the two into a deep sleep. 


	7. The Journey on the Hogwarts Express

The day finally arrived! It was now the day to go back to Hogwarts. Harry laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He watched the Chudley Cannons zooming in and out of the posters. He knew that Mrs. Weasley would be coming around to all the rooms and waking everyone up. He was used to the routine. And soon enough, Harry could hear Mrs. Weasley walking up the stairs.  
  
"Get up Fred! George, you better be awake!" Harry could hear Mrs. Weasley's voice echoing up the stairs.  
  
Harry leaned over and shook Ron awake.  
  
"Geroff me!" Ron said crankily.  
  
"C'mon. Your Mum is coming around and getting everyone up." Harry spoke quietly.  
  
"Alright. I'm up." Ron croaked.  
  
There was suddenly a knock on the door.  
  
"Ron. Harry. Time to wake up. Breakfast will be ready soon." Mrs. Weasley spoke softly through the door.  
  
"We're up Mum. Don't worry." Ron grumbled back.  
  
Harry sprang out of bed and threw on a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. He threw the rest of his stuff lying out into his trunk and closed the lid. He turned and stared out the window. "What a beautiful morning it is" Harry thought. Ron got out of bed and changed into a tee-shirt and jeans. Harry and Ron stepped over the lump of black fur that was Sirius and headed down the stairs and into the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning to you both." Hermione said as Harry and Ron entered the kitchen.  
  
"Hello." Harry replied cheerfully.  
  
Harry and Ron grabbed a seat next to Hermione and Ginny.  
  
"I told you two to get up! Fred and George! I want to see you both downstairs in two minutes or else!" Mrs. Weasley yelled threateningly.  
  
"Alright! We're up!" Fred and George bellowed together.  
  
Harry heard footsteps moving around above the kitchen. Then there were footsteps coming down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley suddenly appeared from the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Hello dears. Excited about today?" Mrs. Weasley asked politely.  
  
"Of course we are." Ron said.  
  
"Well, that's good to hear." Mrs. Weasley added.  
  
Fred and George jumped down three stairs and landed at the bottom of the stairs. Then they ran over and grabbed a seat next to Harry and Ron.  
  
"Glad to see you're finally awake." Mrs. Weasley said.  
  
Mrs. Weasley bustled over to the kitchen counter and stove. She pulled out her wand and tapped the stove three times.  
  
"Cookiamus!" Mrs. Weasley muttered.  
  
All the pots and pans sprang to life and the stove turned on. Mrs. Weasley grabbed a handful of eggs and started cracking them on the side of the pan and poured the yolks into the pan. The pan automatically started to fry the eggs and a spatula was scrambling the eggs around. She made pancake mix faster than Harry would ever be able to. She poured the batter into another pan and that spatula was flipping pancakes left and right. Another pan held the sausage and the toaster popped out one piece of toast after another.  
  
After what seemed like five minutes, Mrs. Weasley had breakfast ready.  
  
"I thought you said you were cutting back on the magic." Fred said.  
  
"Well, in situations where you have no time, I'm going to use it." Mrs. Weasley replied back.  
  
Fred and George sniggered under the table. They didn't believe she was cutting back at all.  
  
After everyone finished eating, Mr. Weasley came bustling down the stairs.  
  
"Am I late? Did they leave already?" Mr. Weasley was asking.  
  
"Honey, you haven't missed the kids. Now maybe you should go change out of your pajamas so that you can take the children to the train station." Mrs. Weasley stated.  
  
"Oh…yeah…right. I'll go do that right now." And Mr. Weasley ran up the stairs.  
  
"Alright children. Hurry off and finish packing your things. Bring down everything once you have finished." Mrs. Weasley turned to them.  
  
Everyone got up from the table and headed upstairs to finish packing their belongings. Harry was almost finished. The only thing he had to worry about was waking Sirius up, packing his Firebolt, and getting Hedwig back in her cage. Harry and Ron reached the room where they found Sirius plopped on top of Ron's bed. They walked around the room, throwing things in their trunk that they had overlooked the first time. Harry looked out the window and saw Hedwig coming right for him. She flew in through the window and landed on Harry's shoulder.  
  
"Sorry Hedwig, but you have to go in your cage now." Harry said.  
  
Hedwig turned her head in disgrace and reluctantly went into her cage. Harry shut the door and placed the cage and his Firebolt on top of his trunk. He then grabbed the side of the trunk and started to drag it down the stairs. Harry could hear the thump thump of the other trunks being dragged downstairs. When Harry finally reached the bottom, Ginny and Hermione were down there with all of their things. Then came Ron, and finally, Fred and George.  
  
"You all have your things packed and ready to go?" Mrs. Weasley asked politely.  
  
"Yes." They all said together.  
  
"Honey! I'm here! I'm ready to take the kids!" Mr. Weasley came stumbling down the stairs.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley helped pack the trunks into two rental cars from the Ministry. Harry turned and saw Sirius pouncing out of the front door and jumped into the back seat of one of the cars. Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into the same car. Fred, George, and Ginny went into the other one. Mr. Weasley drove the car that Harry was in and Mrs. Weasley drove the other.  
  
After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at the train station. They pulled the cars over at the side and unloaded the trunk. Sirius hopped out of the car and stood next to Harry. Mr. Weasley ran inside the station and came back with six trolley carts. They each put their trunks onto the carts and wheeled them into the station. They walked past several crowds of people, each staring at Harry and wondering why he had an owl with him. They walked past the platforms and watched as people boarded their trains.  
  
"There it is!" Ron yelled, "Platform Nine and Platform Ten."  
  
"Okay. Ron and Harry, you're up first." Mrs. Weasley said.  
  
Harry and Ron pushed their carts up to the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten and paused. Sirius jumped onto the little space that was left on the cart so that he didn't have to run anymore.  
  
"Ready?" Harry asked.  
  
"How many times have we done this?" Ron asked sarcastically.  
  
"Oh, only about four times." Harry chuckled.  
  
Harry and Ron pushed their carts at a jog and headed right towards the barrier. Three feet…two feet…one foot…then they were through. The passed through the barrier and was now standing on Platform Nine and Three- Quarters.  
  
Harry looked around and saw many first years standing near their parents. Then he saw the scarlet train. The Hogwarts Express was ready to go. Ginny and Hermione appeared next, followed by Fred and George.  
  
"This way." Hermione said to Harry and Ron.  
  
Ginny walked off with a group of her friends. Fred and George caught up with their friend, Lee Jordan. Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed for a compartment near the end of the train. The loaded their trunks and sat in their seat. By this time, Harry's stomach started to growl. He couldn't wait until the witch came around with the food.  
  
After five minutes, the whistle blew and the train sped off towards the rolling green hills.  
  
"So, who do you think the new Dark Arts teacher will be?" Ron asked.  
  
"I dunno." Harry said.  
  
"It could be anyone." Hermione replied.  
  
"I just hope Hagrid gets some good animals for lessons this year." Ron said.  
  
"Yeah, something new for Malfoy to complain to his Dad about." Harry pointed out.  
  
"I'm not going to take any crap from him this year." Ron said through gritted teeth.  
  
"You say that every year, but honestly Ron, you aren't going to do anything. You know better than that. I know you won't sink down to his level." Hermione said.  
  
I wonder when the witch will be coming. I do hope she comes soon. I'm bloody hungry." Ron exclaimed.  
  
Just then, the compartment door slid open and Malfoy walked in, followed by his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"Well look at what we got here boys" Malfoy said with a grin broadening on his face, "Why yes, I do believe we have a bunch of wasted talent sitting right in front of us."  
  
"Shut-up Malfoy. I'm warning you." Ron spoke angrily.  
  
"Or what? What are you gonna do about it? Are you going to get your Muggle-loving father up here?" Malfoy laughed.  
  
"At least he doesn't crawl back on his hands and knees to his "Lord" that he abandoned" Harry said.  
  
"You watch it Potter. You can be next you know." Malfoy was starting to get angry.  
  
"Is that a threat?" Ron asked.  
  
"However you take it Weasley. I'd watch your back if I were you Potter. You'd never know what could be lurking around the corners." Malfoy turned and walked out, Crabbe and Goyle following behind.  
  
"I don't know how much more I can take of him." Ron was calming down.  
  
"We should have fed him to the Blast-Ended Skrewts last year. They would have enjoyed eating him." Harry said.  
  
"Nothing would want to eat something that rotten." Hermione chimed in, "Anyway, we should probably start getting changed."  
  
"But Hermione, it hasn't even been an hour yet." Harry said.  
  
"Yeah, but you'd better do it now before it becomes too late." Hermione added.  
  
"Yeah. Sure Hermione." Ron said sarcastically.  
  
"Well fine. If you don't want to then you don't have to. But I don't want to hear you two whining about how you should have gotten changed earlier when we arrive." Hermione turned and walked out of the compartment.  
  
"What's gotten into her?" Ron asked.  
  
"I dunno. Remember, this is Hermione. She always does stuff early." Harry said.  
  
"Yeah. You're right." Ron laid back in the seat.  
  
Harry and Ron sat there and stared out the window. They were excited and could not wait until they reached Hogwarts. Hermione had been gone for a couple of minutes, but when she returned, she was fully dressed in her Hogwarts clothes, her hat in her hand. She walked over and sat back down next to Harry.  
  
After an hour, the plump witch came strolling through the door and came down towards their compartment.  
  
"Good afternoon." She spoke softly, "Would you like anything from my cart?"  
  
Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his bag full of money.  
  
"I would like three of everything." Harry said and handed the witch a handful of sickles.  
  
The witch took the money, counted it out, and handed Harry all the food in a small bag. She nodded and strolled off towards the other compartments.  
  
"Thanks Harry. You saved me from Mum's sandwiches. She made one for each of us." Ron said.  
  
"Yes, thank you very much Harry. That was very sweet of you." Hermione added.  
  
Harry reached into the bag, divided all the food evenly, and gave them to Ron, Hermione, and himself. They all dove into the food.  
  
"Oh boy! This is all so good!" Ron howled.  
  
"I know. I've been waiting for a while" Harry said.  
  
They ate the rest of their food in peace and sat anxiously, waiting to see the beautiful view of the castle. 


	8. The Sorting

The train slowly pulled into the Hogsmeade Station. All the students unloaded the train and headed off towards the carriages. Harry heard the familiar voice of Hagrid in the distance.  
  
"Firs' years! All firs' years come on over here!" Hagrid yelled.  
  
Harry knew that the first years traveled across the lake in a boat and entered the castle in a different entrance. He had to do it himself on his first year.  
  
Harry, Sirius, Ron, and Hermione walked towards the awaiting carriages to take them to the school. They boarded the carriages and shut the door. The carriage jerked forward and headed off towards the castle.  
  
"Yes, so close!" Ron said.  
  
"Almost there." Harry added.  
  
The carriage came to a halt in front of the castle. It was completely dark by now. They climbed out of the carriage and walked up the stone steps to the huge doors.  
  
"Good evening Harry." It was Dumbledore. He opened the doors to greet the returning students. This was the first time this ever happened.  
  
"Hello." Harry said.  
  
Dumbledore knelt over and whispered something into Sirius's ear that Harry could not make out. Then he stood up and waved them inside.  
  
Dumbledore opened the doors and let all the students enter into the Entrance Hall. Sirius stayed behind with Dumbledore. All the students then made a turn and walked into the Great Hall. The ceiling was bewitched to look like the clear, night sky outside. The hall was decorated in the school's colors and had a huge Hogwarts banner hanging above the teacher's table. Above each table was a banner, each representing each of the four houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff). The students all headed to their tables and took a seat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed towards the back, where the Gryffindor banner hung high and proud. Next to the banner was the trophy that was awarded to Gryffindor two years ago. Harry remembered that.  
  
All the students took their seats and quickly became silent, all waiting for the arrival of the first years. Harry turned and saw Hagrid enter through the door behind the teacher's table and take a seat. Hagrid looked over at Harry and gave him a wink. Harry smiled and turned to watch the doors. The doors suddenly burst open and Professor McGonagall led the first years to the front of the room. She told the students to stay put and walked into a room on the side. She came back out carrying an old, shabby looking hat. Harry recognized the hat very well. It was the Sorting Hat. It placed students in the houses that it thought best suited the students. Professor McGonagall raised her hand to silence the crowd. Then the Sorting Hat started to sing:  
  
"Oh, you may think I'm not a pretty sight to look at,  
  
But don't judge anything on what you see,  
  
I'll burn myself if you can find  
  
A smarter hat than me.  
  
You can keep your pointed hats black  
  
And keep them standing tall,  
  
Because I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
  
And I can cap them all.  
  
There's nothing you can hide  
  
That I cannot see,  
  
So put me on  
  
And I will tell you where you should be.  
  
Perhaps I will put you in Gryffindor,  
  
Where the brave stand strong,  
  
And their courage and nerve  
  
Send Gryffindors along.  
  
I might put you in Ravenclaw,  
  
Where they have an intelligent mind,  
  
For those who are willing to learn  
  
Will always find their kind.  
  
Or perhaps in Hufflepuff,  
  
Where they are just and loyal,  
  
They are true and patient  
  
And unafraid of toil.  
  
Why not the mighty Slytherin,  
  
Where you will find your true friends,  
  
Those people will go to any means  
  
To achieve their ends.  
  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
  
I'm only three feet high!  
  
Your future will be safe  
  
For your grades will fly!  
  
The whole entire hall burst into applause, all except the first years, who were quivering on the spot. Harry leaned towards Ron and whispered something in his ear.  
  
"Can you imagine? That was us five years ago." Harry said.  
  
"Yeah. That was us. Standing there shaking." Ron started to laugh.  
  
The hall immediately became silent as Professor McGonagall unrolled the parchment that held the names of the new students.  
  
"When I call your name, please walk up to the stool and have a seat on the stool." Professor McGonagall said, "Abbott, Melanie!"  
  
A short girl with dirty blonde hair walked up to the stool. She sat down and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. It dropped down and covered her eyes. There was a moment's pause—  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.  
  
The table on the right burst into applause as the girl walked over and sat down at the Hufflepuff table.  
  
"Buggett, Brendon!"  
  
"RAVENCLAW!" and Brendon scuttled off towards the table on the left.  
  
"Brown, Mandy!"  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat and Harry and the rest of the table cheered as Mandy walked over to join the table.  
  
"That's my little sister!" Lavender Brown, a fellow Gryffindor, said to Harry.  
  
The Sorting Hat went on until it reached the final name.  
  
"Westworth, Zoey!"  
  
The girl walked up to the stool and took a seat. Harry stared long and hard at the girl. She looked vaguely familiar. But Harry couldn't pinpoint where he would know her from. The hat barely even touched her head when it shouted "SLYTHERIN!"  
  
The far table burst out screaming and cheering as the young girl walked over.  
  
"You know, it's really a shame." Hermione said.  
  
"What is?" Ron asked.  
  
"Well, what if not all the kids who get sent to Slytherin are all bad. What if they are actually really nice. But the house and people just turn them evil." Hermione finished.  
  
Harry sunk in his seat. He never told anyone about the Sorting Hat wanting to place Harry in Slytherin when he first tried it on. But that was all in the past. Harry knew he was placed in Gryffindor for a reason.  
  
Dumbledore rose to his feet and raised both his hands to try and silence the crowd. Almost instantly, the hall hushed and became quiet.  
  
"As you all know, there needs to be a position to be filled this year. We all know what subject that would be." Dumbledore started. Harry knew what he was talking about. Every year, they needed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Rumors say that that job is cursed and that's why no one ever stayed more than a month.  
  
"And many of you will know the teacher taking the job. He has already acquired the job a few years before, so I feel he is more than qualified to obtain the position."  
  
Harry stared over at Snape. He had a sour face on. Harry knew that it was probably someone he disliked.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please give a hand to Professor Lupin."  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped up out of their seats and cheered the loudest as Professor Lupin entered and took a seat next to Dumbledore.  
  
"YES!!" Ron yelled.  
  
"He's back! He's really back!" Hermione said.  
  
Dumbledore raised his arms again and the room fell silent once more.  
  
"As a recap for most students, the third floor corridor is still, and forever will be, off-limits to students. The Forbidden Forest is also off- limits. No midnight strolls are to be allowed and remember, you are here for the most possible amount of learning, with a dash of fun." Dumbledore said, "Now, before I bore you to death, let us eat!"  
  
Dumbledore clapped his hands and all the golden plates and goblets filled with food. There was chicken and sweet potatoes, beans of all kinds and plenty of mashed and baked potatoes to go around. The Pumpkin Juice was extra cold and tasted better than ever before. After everyone finished their second and third servings, the plates were clean and were then piled high, full of all kinds of desserts imaginable.  
  
"I don't remember it ever tasting so good." Ron said with a mouthful of chocolate pudding.  
  
When everyone finished with the desserts, Dumbledore clapped his hands again and all the food disappeared.  
  
"Well, wasn't that a delightful welcome back meal?" Dumbledore asked, a smile then broadening across his face, "Well, will all the prefects please take the students up to their common rooms. Have a good night's rest and be ready to start off the school year bright and early tomorrow morning."  
  
And with that, all the students rose out of their seats and headed their separate directions to their common rooms. There were new prefects this year for Gryffindor. The prefects led all the Gryffindors through the corridors and up flights of stairs until they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
  
"Password?" asked the portrait.  
  
"Periwinkle." said one of the prefects.  
  
The portrait swung open and revealed the common room. They all climbed in and most headed to their dorm room. Hermione headed up the girl's tower after saying good-night to them. Harry and Ron then headed up.  
  
Once they entered the room, they found Neville, Seamus, and Dean already there. Harry glanced over and found Sirius asleep next to Harry's bedside. Harry changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. He thought about what tomorrow's classes were going to be like. He then slowly drifted off to sleep. 


End file.
